


Party Games

by StrawberryLane



Series: Seven minutes in heaven [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Crushes, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friendship, High School, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Outsider, Party Games, Partying, Secret Crush, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 16:58:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14501481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryLane/pseuds/StrawberryLane
Summary: “I’m sorry!” wails Peter as a stone-faced Winter Soldier watches him from the other side of the boxing ring. Peter’s been unsuccessfully grovelling for the last half an hour, ever since he let it slip that yes, he did use Bucky’s name when he made up a fake date for himself, simply because that was the first name that came to mind and also, Ned desperately wants to go to Phoenix Larson’s party. Pretty, pretty please can Bucky do him one, tiny favor?





	Party Games

**Author's Note:**

> So, I finally watched Spider-Man: Homecoming and I loved it. This was supposed to go in another direction entirely and be much longer but this is what I ended up with.
> 
> This could be considered a prequel to Leather jacket and a smile, which is why I'm including both works in a series.
> 
> Also, in case you haven't read the tags: Beware of the underage.

It begins, as usual, with Ned unsuccessfully trying to help Peter out. He means no harm by it, Flash is sure, it’s just the type of idiot he is. Flash’s has nothing against him, except, you know, that he exists. Idiot.

 

They’re in gym, Penis once again pretending he’s bad at it, since he occasionally remembers that used to be the case. Penis Parker was bad at gym for all of freshman year and then something just happened. Just like that, Penis was suddenly much better at gym than he used to be.

 

The Stark Internship happened. That’s how it went. Penis went all starry-eyed over Tony Stark and suddenly got a lot better at gym and a hell of a lot more distracted regarding everything else.

 

Like not listening to Ned as he proclaims for everyone to hear that Peter is actually going on a date tonight.

 

Flash snickers to himself because, yeah, sure. Itty bitty Peter Parker is going on a date and Flash is secretly Captain America.

 

“What’s her name then, huh, Peter?” Joan calls out from the other side of the room. Her question is met with giggles and badly concealed snorts. “You gonna walk out on her like you walked out on Liz?”

 

Penis Parker has yet to be entirely forgiven for walking out on Liz Toomes at prom. It was kind of a shitty thing to do, Flash thinks. He would never have left Liz, nor any other date, dancing on their own at prom. He’s way too much of a gentleman to do that.

 

“Um,” Peter says, scrambling to get up from where he’s just completed a wobbly handstand. His ears are tinged red. “Uh, no, I-”

 

“Of course he’s not,” says Ned, looking like he’s offended on his best friend’s behalf. “Tell ‘em, Peter.”

 

“It’s not like you’re actually going on a date, though, is it?” says Flash, making sure just a tiny little edge of taunting goes into the sentence.

 

Peter is a satisfying shade of tomato red by now. “Uh, I… Actually I am.”

 

Flash only watches as Peter squares his shoulders, like he’s willing the blush on his face to tone it down a bit, like he’s trying to appear more confident.

 

“Yeah, who’s the lucky girl then?”

 

Penis falters for a moment. “Uh, his name is James Barnes.” he says and his words cause a ripple through the room.

 

“Wait,” someone shouts from the other side of the room, “you’re gay?”

 

No wonder Penis ditched Liz at prom, Flash thinks. Probably got scared of cooties or something.

 

“Uh,” says Peter because he’s nothing if not intelligent. “No?”

 

And then he flees the room, even though class is not even halfway finished.

 

*

The next day, Peter comes to school with a fresh black eye and no hickeys to speak of. At least no visible ones, Flash notes from where he’s peering at the other boy from behind his geography book.

 

They’re in the cafeteria at lunch when Ned starts his next phase of ‘unsuccessfully trying to make Peter seem cool’.

 

“So,” he asks loudly, “how was it, man?”

 

Penis, as usual, is distracted. He checks his phone like three times in as many minutes. It’s kind of annoying.

 

“How was what?” he asks, shooting off yet another text to someone.

 

Ned looks around the room, noting how many eyes are on them now. “Your date,” he stage whispers and Peter suddenly looks a lot less distracted.

 

“Oh, yeah, it went great. We had dinner at this awesome place he found and-”

 

“And then he gave you a black eye for trying to get handsy?” Flash butts in, sneering.

 

Peter actually looks really nice when he’s the same shade as tomato soup, Flash thinks.

 

“Uh, no, I, uh, got robbed on my way home and uh-”

 

“Cut it out, Penis,” says Flash, returning his attention to his lunch. “I’m not interested.”

 

“I am,” says Phoenix, one of the more popular senior girls. Phoenix – and no, that’s not a nickname – wouldn’t usually be caught dead speaking to someone not a senior themselves, Flash has tried to get and keep her attention multiple times, because she’s one gorgeous girl and he’s always failed. It’s so not fair that Penis Parker gets her attention with his made up boyfriend.

 

Phoenix slides gracefully onto the bench next to Ned, staring Peter down. Her squad of equally rich and gorgeous friends crowd around her.

 

Peter just stares at her like she had two heads.

 

“Why?” he croaks, confusion clear in his voice.

 

The attention of the whole cafeteria is on them now.

 

“Because I’m having this little party this Saturday at 8pm, and if you bring your boyfriend you’re more than welcome to attend. And your friend too,” Phoenix adds, winking at Ned. Ned promptly blushes down to his knees.

 

Not that Flash can actually see the dude’s knees, but you get the point.

 

*

 

“I’m sorry!” wails Peter as a stone-faced Winter Soldier watches him from the other side of the boxing ring. Peter’s been unsuccessfully grovelling for the last half an hour, ever since he let it slip that yes, he had used Bucky’s name when he made up a fake date for himself, simply because that was the first name that came to mind and also, Ned desperately wants to go to Phoenix Larson’s party and pretty please, can Bucky do him one, tiny favor?

 

It wasn’t like he’d actually meant to tell Barnes himself any of that. It had just slipped out. Kind of.

 

“Yours was the first name I thought of! It was a Wednesday, we’re always training on Wednesdays!”

 

So far, Peter’s excuses has gotten him absolutely nowhere.

 

“Tell me again why I should do this?”

 

Peter’s never been scared, per say, of Bucky Barnes. Not knowing who he was during that airport battle probably helped a lot with that. As did being starstruck by Steve Rogers.

 

The Winter Soldier, though, is a whole other deal.

 

Dude’s scary as hell when he stares you down because you stole the last doughnut. Or when you’re trying to get him to agree to attend Phoenix Larson’s party as your pretend boyfriend.

 

“Because, uh, you’re an awesome person if you do? Because Ned will love you? Because it’ll help me not humiliate myself in front of my entire school? Because Phoenix Larson is a total babe and I know how you feel about total babes?”

 

“She’s underage though, isn’t she?” says Bucky, but it’s not a total no. The guy looks like he’s actually considering it.

 

Peter does a mental victory fist bump, trying to look like he’s totally not eternally grateful or pleased or anything.

 

“You’re going to shower before, right?” he asks instead, and then “Okay, just checking,” when Bucky glares at him.

 

*

Saturday night rolls around all too fast for Bucky’s liking. He’s spent the day vegging out on the couch, only really getting up to take a piss or to make himself five sandwiches with hummus and all the veggies, mulling over the fact that he had, in a moment of stupidity, agreed to be the Spiderling’s fake boyfriend for the evening.

 

To a high school party, of all things.

 

He can already hear the sirens of the cops coming to arrest him for statutory rape. Because the kid is what, fifteen?

 

 _Christ_.

 

What on earth is he doing with his life?

 

“You got a date tonight or what?” asks Steve when Bucky passes by him to reach the front door. Bucky really wants to shed his jacket off and join his best friend on the couch, just watching dumb stuff on TV and you know, not spend his evening corrupting innocent teenagers.

 

“Something like that,” he mumbles, tugging his shoes on and fleeing like the coward he is. No way in hell he’s waiting around for Steve to find out exactly what it is Bucky is up to tonight.

 

That fight is something he can do without just fine, thanks.

 

*

 

So, Flash doesn’t usually consider himself the jealous type and why would he be jealous of Peter Parker anyway?

 

Except for the fact that here he is, at Phoenix’s party, dateless and not really enjoying himself and Penis Parker just walked in, followed by, yeah, that’s the goddamn Winter Soldier all right.

 

Penis Parker is dating the Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier, the good guy gone bad gone good again. Or something like that.

 

Somehow, Flash thinks, he should have seen this coming when Peter told everyone his date’s name was James Barnes. Peter does, at least according to himself, spend a lot of time hanging around Tony Stark. It’s only inevitable that he should meet the other Avengers and their various friends at some point.

 

But still, the Winter Soldier? The big bad wolf that had Captain America become a fugitive for him?

 

Talk about unexpected. And weird.

 

Flash watches as Peter nervously makes his way across Phoenix’s living room, seemingly intent on reaching the hostess herself. Barnes and Ned trail after him at a more sedate pace, Ned with nervous excitement visible on his face and Barnes looking like he regrets everything.

 

Flash is going to be a goddamn witness to The Winter Soldier dumping Penis Parker because he’s realized that Penis is fifteen years old and also in high school.

 

This is going to be fantastic.

 

*

“This is going to be a disaster,” groans Peter for perhaps the fifth time since Bucky picked him and Ned up two blocks from aunt May’s apartment because Peter, and he swears he didn’t mean to do this, may have forgotten to mention to aunt May who, exactly, he was going to Phoenix Larson’s party with.

 

It’s not that he thinks she wouldn’t approve or anything like that.

 

“Shut up,” grouses Bucky, just like he has every other time Peter has aired his doubts about how convincing they will be. “It’ll be fine. We’ll show up, make kissy faces at each other and leave. After drinking copious amounts of alcohol.”

 

After a beat of silence he adds, “There’s gonna be alcohol, isn’t there?”

 

“You can’t even get drunk,” Peter tells him. “Why do you care?”

 

“Because, Mr fifteen year old, if I’m gonna pretend to be in love with you, I’m gonna need something a little stronger than apple juice.”

 

Peter looks offended. Straightening out his plaid shirt and pretending he didn’t spend like an hour freaking out to Ned over his limited wardrobe choices, he reaches a hand back to give Ned a slightly askew upside down high five.

 

“We’ve got this, right?” he says as Bucky pulls to a stop outside a house so large it looks like it should house about five families instead of the just the Larsons.

 

“Sure,” offers Ned with confidence Peter is about 98% sure the other boy doesn’t actually feel. “Absolutely.”

 

Beside him, Bucky peers up at the house. “Fuck me,” he says, “what kind of rich fucker lives here?”

 

“Mr Larson’s the owner of the Jambalaya Hotel chain,” supplies Ned, looking kind of nervous as Bucky turns to face him.

 

“Is that so?” Bucky hums and then clears his throat. “You two should get out of here and I’ll find somewhere to park.”

 

He thumps the dashboard of Tony’s dark red corvette like it has personally offended him. Peter and Ned scramble out of the car into the already dark street.

 

“Hey, should we wait for-?” Peter begins to ask, but Bucky’s already put a foot on the gas and driven away.

 

*

 

Putting the corvette into park, Bucky groans and bashes his head against the steering wheel. Peter’s right, this is going to be a disaster.

 

How come he agreed to this again?

 

“Because you want to be a better person. You want to give back,” says a voice that sound suspiciously like Steve in the back of his head. Grunting to no one in particular, Bucky searches through his pockets for the cigarette he knows is there somewhere. Finding it, he puts it between his lips and grabs a lighter. One of the perks of being a super-soldier is that smoking can’t actually affect him.

 

Exhaling slowly, he watches the smoke leave his lips silently before wrenching the car door open and stepping out into the not so silent night.

 

He ditches the cigarette and pops a chewing gum into his mouth without even thinking about it as he spots Peter and Ned waiting for him at the beginning of the stairs that lead up to the Larson’s home.

 

*

“He’s kind of cool, though, isn’t he? Beneath that scary attitude,” whispers Ned, like he’s afraid the Winter Soldier is going to appear from thin air behind him. Which he actually might, Peter thinks. Bucky’s scary like that, with his ability to move as quiet as a spider and scare the crap out of innocent people. In answer to Ned’s question, he nods. “Yeah, he’s kinda cool.”

 

Truth is, he may or may not actually have a tiny, teeny crush on the older man. A crush that Bucky will never, ever come to know about. There’s something about the guy that makes tiny butterflies appear in Peter’s stomach at the sight of him. It doesn’t help at all that Bucky seems to have actually made an effort, instead of showing up in the dirty sweatpants and low cut tank top Peter’s used to seeing him in. No, instead he’s decided to make Peter’s life hell by 1) actually showering and 2) wearing skintight jeans, another low cut tank top that hides absolutely nothing and a leather jacket.

 

It’s like Bucky wants him to have a heart attack.

 

*

The party’s in full swing by the time they make their way inside. Peter tries not to feel inadequate. Tries not to feel like his whole life is inadequate, like inviting Bucky Barnes to a high school party thrown by the queen bee is not an embarrassing thing to do.

 

Oh god, what are they even doing here? This is such a mistake.

 

Steeling himself, Peter spots Phoenix and starts for her. Better get the most embarrassing part out of the way quickly, right?

 

*

 

Penis introduces his boyfriend to Phoenix in the same nervous, awkward manner he does everything else. The Winter Soldier though, he doesn’t seem to care that Peter is just an awkward teenager. Instead of fleeing out the door like Flash was sure he’d do, the man simply holds out a hand and says “Thanks for the invite,” to Phoenix.

 

Like it’s no big deal. Like it’s not awkward as fuck for a grown superhero to attend a party thrown by a bunch of high school kids.

 

But then again, this is the Winter Soldier. Guy must have experienced more than a couple weird situations in his life. This probably doesn’t even make the top ten. Top twenty, tops.

 

By now, the vast majority of the party goers have reached the conclusion that Penis Parker was, in fact, not lying when he told the entire cafeteria that yeah, sure, he’ll bring his date along to Phoenix’s party. What this means is that most of the room is now staring openly at the couple. Including Ned, who visibly swallows and turns to stare the other way when the Winter Soldier, like he somehow hasn’t noticed the staring, reaches out and tugs Peter close.

 

Peter squeaks, clearly not expecting to suddenly be embraced. He awkwardly moves to get his own arms around the older man, his face tinged red.

 

“So where’s the alcohol, then?” asks the Winter Soldier, his metal hand twisting in Peter’s shirt.

 

*

 

Flash tries not to be entirely obvious with his staring, but he’s fairly sure he’s not succeeding. Along with the rest of the guests, so at least he’s not alone. That’s a comfort.

 

Peter and his boyfriend, after grabbing some drinks – and no, Flash didn’t miss the way the Winter Soldier stole the beer Penis first picked out, thrusting a soda in his hands instead – have retreated to an otherwise unoccupied couch in Phoenix’s living room, the hostess herself perched on the edge of it, more or less interrogating them about their relationship.

 

“So how did the two of you meet?” she coos, giggling like a little girl. She plays with her hair, pushes her chest forward, which, in the glittery silver dress she’s wearing, looks very good, if Flash says so himself.

 

The Winter Soldier looks thoroughly unimpressed. He wraps his free arm around Peter.

 

“He does internship work for Tony. I like annoying Tony by showing up unannounced in his lab.”

 

He says it offhandedly, like flaunting the fact that you know Tony Stark is no big deal.

 

To him, Flash thinks, it probably isn’t. He’s a superhero in his own right. Hanging out with the likes of Iron Man and Captain America and the Black Widow is just a regular Tuesday for him.

 

*

The awkwardness reaches a new level when one of Phoenix’s friends announces that it’s time for party games. Peter kind of wants to sink through the floor when that game turns out to be Seven minutes in heaven. Because he apparently has no idea what, exactly, Seven minutes in heaven entails, Bucky shrugs and says “Sure,” when asked if he wants to participate.

 

“What is it?” he asks Peter when Peter mutely shakes his head no, no, no.

 

“This is a bad idea,” Peter whispers. “It’s a make out game.”

 

“What, like Spin the bottle?” Bucky whispers back, untangling himself from Peter and the couch. Peter finds he misses the warmth of the other man pressed against his side. Begging himself not to say something stupid, like “come back” or something equally ridiculous he forces himself to move after Bucky off the couch.

 

“What, you know Spin the bottle?”

 

Bucky gives him a look that’s closer to the usual glare than anything else he’s thrown Peter’s way this whole evening.

 

“Used to play it as a kid. It’s not a new game, sweetheart.”

 

He says it loud enough for the room at large to hear. Someone actually says “aww” out loud.

 

Those participating in the game settle down on the floor in front of the fireplace that looks like it’ll fit Peter’s entire room inside of it.

 

“So,” says Phoenix, clasping her hands like she’s about to make an announcement. “We need a volunteer to enter the closet first.”

 

Phoenix’s house is too huge to have anything but walk-in-closets. Several of them, in fact. Before Peter can stop him and tell him what an absolutely horrible idea this is, Bucky’s hand shoot up and he volunteers himself.

 

Because of course he does. Peter tries to communicate through glaring at the other man’s back that this is a very stupid thing to do and Bucky should know this. He’s supposed to be smart, dammit.

 

Bucky strolls away like he can’t feel the heat of Peter’s glare on his back. He strolls away like he knows everybody’s attention is on him. He strolls away like he’s going to casually assassinate someone.

 

“That’s so hot,” says a girl next to Peter watching Bucky walk away.

 

“Yeah,” Peter breaths out before he can stop himself.

*

Once Flash gathers up the courage to actually enter the closet, it’s a bit anti-climatic.

 

“Huh,” says the Winter Soldier from where he’s seated on the ottoman in the middle of the room. “I assumed they’d send in Peter.”

 

He sounds almost disappointed.

 

“Me too,” squeaks Flash and he really did. He’d assumed this childish game was some sort of ploy to expose Peter as a lying liar who lies or something. Apparently not, as Phoenix had made the decision to send in Flash instead of Peter. Penis looking like he was about to crap his pants had been a highlight of the situation though.

 

Barnes squints at him. “So, you’re Flash. Peter’s told me a lot about you.”

 

And just like that, something dangerous has crept into his voice. The closet suddenly feels a lot smaller than it did just seconds before.

 

“Really?” asks Flash, hoping the other man doesn’t notice the way he’s inching towards the door. “Only good things I hope?”

 

The Winter Soldier honest to god smiles. It sends chills down Flash’s spine.

 

“Sure,” he says, “let’s go with that.”

 

As it turns out, seven minutes is an eternity of discomfort when you’re being stared down by the Winter Soldier.

 

*

 

“What are we going to do?” mumbles Peter as he closes the closet door behind him, pretending he doesn’t see how the group outside isn’t even trying to hide that they’re moving closer. To listen in, probably.

 

“Kiss?” asks Barnes and Peter chokes on his own spit. “That’s what we’re supposed to do right?”

 

*

 

 

When Peter emerges about half an hour later with swollen lips, his shirt undone and the Winter Soldier’s metal hand jammed firmly into the back pocket of his jeans, Flash just about gives up.

 

*

Once they’ve located Ned, the three of them cram themselves into Tony’s corvette and drive off in silence. It’s not until they’ve dropped off Ned outside of his parents’ house and watched him walk safely through the front door that Peter speaks up.

 

“Th-” he clears his throat. “Thanks.”

 

Bucky grunts, putting a cigarette between his lips.

 

“I didn’t know you smoked.”

 

Bucky looks up at that. Shakes a few stray strands of hair out of his face. “I don’t. Not really. Just sometimes.”

 

Peter opens his mouth to say something, anything.

 

“It’s a nasty habit,” Bucky interrupts him. “Don’t pick it up.”

 

He tosses the unlit cigarette out the window.

 

“Now,” he says, putting his foot on the gas, “let’s get you home before May starts to think you’ve been kidnapped by hyenas.”

 

***The End***

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it!


End file.
